The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1887-09-22
POSTAL FACTS.
Uncle Sam Has One-Third the
Service of the Globe.

"MllOr1 green is the color OF tne new
postage stamps now beginning to make
their appearance. For the benefit of the
people who are not up in the technica
names of the various shades OF green as
expressed in printers ink and other higf
art circles, it may be stated that this greer
is exactly the same shade as that used fol
the three cent postage stamps which
were in use when the letter postage wa:
changed from three cents to two cents.
The change in color of the two cent
stamps which was decided upon by the
Post Office Department some time age
took place on the 18th of the present
month. 1t will take some time, however
for the new green stamps to get into gen
eral use, for the department required al
the postmasters to sell out all their old
two cent stamps of the metallic red color
before beginning the sale of the new ones
There is no change in the design of the
two cent stamp, the only change being in
color. AS the old three cent stamp is still
issued in it's original color of milori green
its color will now be changed to yermilion
in order to prevent confusion in distin.
| 8
There will be no change in color ofany OF
the other postage stamps at present In
the stamped envelopes there will be a
change of the color of the two cent stamp
so that it will correspond with the color
of the ordinary two cent stamp. The
change in the stamps of the envelopes
will not be made so soon as that of the
stamps, as the contractors have a pretty
large supply of the old color on hand.
The Post Office Department is little
inclined to be tender with its stamped en-
velope contractors. The Department con-
tracts for and sells over 3OO,OOO,OOO stamp
ed envelopes in year. and it is a pretty
| difficult thing to get contractors to under
take so big task and do it at low rates.
Contracts now in force are so low that
the Department is able to sell some of it's
stamped envelopes at dollar thousand
above the price of the stamps upon them.
1t even retails some of them in lots of
five or ten or twenty-five at the same low
rate of dollar a thousand or ten cents a
hundred. This price to the general pub
lie, which is in the habit of paying at the
rate of forty cents hEndred for envel-
opes, is quite revelation. and the De-
partment is anxious to do all it can to
keep the rate down to its lowest figure.
AS indicated above, the Department
sells over 3OOO,OOO,OOO stamped envelopes
year. And how many postage stamps
do you suppose it sells? More than five
times that many. More than 1,600OOO,OOO
The figures for the past year have not yet
been given to the public, but it is probable
they will show the number of postage
stamps sold in the year ending June 3Oth,
1887, to be over 1,7O0,oOO,OOO.
Add to this the 3OO,OOO,OOO stamped en-
velopes and you have over 2,OOO,OOO,OOO
of stamps sold, or an average of 40 apiece
to the entire population. Add the $50,
100000 of postal cards, the newspaper
wrappers, newspaper stamps, special de-
livery, ETC., and you have about 100000,
600 of stamps sold in year.
Big thing, isn't it, 2,5OO,OOO,OOO of stamps
in a year, costing to those who buy them
nearly $5O,OOO,OOO? 1t does seem a big
thing, yet it is less than 81 apiece for each
individual in the country, and when you
further consider that the United States
has more than one-third of the postoffices
and about one-third of the postal routes
of the civilized world, you begin to see
that our Postofice Department is big
thing in itself, and that the American let
ter writer has got to hump himself to
keep it up.
1t is a fact not generally known that
there are less than 10000 postoffices in
the thirty countries of the pos tai union,
while over $4,000 of them are in the Unit
ed States. 1t is probably not realized
either that the postal routes of the Unit
ed States are sufficient in length to reach
fourteen times around the world and
nearly one-third of the postal routes of
the members of the postal union. Yet
this is the fact. No wonder Mr.. Villas
has headache and longs to exchange his
present place for that of Vice President.
This is the fortieth anniversary of the
first issue of postage stamps in the coun-
try. Until 1S47 all postage was paid in
money at the office of mailing or delivery.
The prepayment was optional, and the re-
suit was that most of the postage was
paid at the office of delivery. The first
stamps issued were five and ten cents in
value those being the then eXis ting rates
of postage. When postage was reduced
to three cents in 1851, a new set of stamps
were issued. Another change was made
made in the first year of the war. of the
war of the rebellion i'll order to prevent
the use of those in the hands of Southern
postmasters.
The first issue of stamped envelopes
was made in 1858 and of postal cards in
1878. Up to this time the Government
has never undertaken to print it's own
stamps or make it's own stamped envel-
opes, but it is probable that it will do so
before many years are over.